A Snake Yarn
The following was told to Admiral I Kennedy by a Brazilian : — " Snakes, Captain ! Why, in tbe old days of slavery, the barracoojis used to be full of snakes ; they were kept as pets to keep down che rats, and the negroes were so fond of them that they took them into their hammocks to sleep with them. The snakes used to hang by their tales to the beams overhead, with their heads level with the floor, on the look out for rats. I remember on one occasion seeing a rat cornered by a snake ; tbe poor rat sat up screaming- with fright, and the snake reared itseb up with his mouth wide open. I followed up the' snake to see what would happen, with a cutlass in my hand, when presently the rat, mad with fear, jumped headlongdown the snake's throat. At tbe instant down came my cutlass, severing the snake's throat." " And what became of the rat ? " I inquired. Oh ! the rat ran out of the openingand mane off, none the worse." — Catholic Times. ■i— iiMimnnii i iiiiiii iiiiii
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/FS18920503.2.23
Bibliographic details
Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 131, 3 May 1892, Page 4
Word Count
183A Snake Yarn Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 131, 3 May 1892, Page 4
Using This Item
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in